3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PVB vs TPE SEBS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PVBSPECIALTY | TPE (SEBS)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[1] | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[1][3] | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[4][5] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[4][5] | 77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[4][5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][7][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[4][5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[2][6] |
| Typical applications | Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[1] | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | +/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[3] | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | 75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[3] | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Open frame is fine[2] |
| Part cooling fan | 100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[3] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[8][9] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[2] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[10] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Non-abrasive[10] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[11][12] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[8][2] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[8] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[1] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[1][13][3] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[3] | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[1][12] | Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[2] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant[12] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[1][13][3] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[1][3] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[13] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[13][3] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[3] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[3] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[13][3] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[3] | 89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[2] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[9] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rubbery / highly elastic[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[3] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[1][13][3] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[1][13][3] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[1][13] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[1][13] | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[9] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[9] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[2] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[9] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[9] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[9] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[9] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[9] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Isopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[1] | No practical vapour smoothing[9] |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[16] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[9] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[13] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[11] | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Not documented | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[18][11] | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[17] |
Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
- Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
- PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc